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Dear man at the car wash….Thank You!

You see at first I was taken aback and even angry when you boldly and in front of my children said “I overheard you mention your children are home-schooled, do you mind if I ask you a question?” I replied “Yes” and then you replied “How are they gonna enter society? I mean I am a business owner and have 100 employees and your children will not know how to handle situations that come up because they are home-schooled and I would not employ them” Well, you know how that worked out for you and I know I wasn’t rude. I stated my case, or should I say our family’s case. After all, it does pertain to my home-schooled children that have to “enter society”. Mind you Mr Man at the car wash, that they are not getting out of prison or are they some wild animal that needs to be tamed. They entered society when they emerged from the womb. They entered this world loved by more people than you can count.

I want to thank you though, because of your brazen remarks, my children and I then had a lesson about life when we got into our car and drove away. I asked them this question “M and E, how do we treat others?” Their response “We treat others as we would like to be treated and if we don’t have anything nice to say, we don’t say anything at all. We do not judge a book by it’s cover and we are humble in our ways.”

Mr Man at the car wash, these are not just things a child learns in public school, these are things that are instilled at home. I say this because it appears to me you missed those lessons in school.

I mentioned some of the positives, but I will mention some again. My children can learn at their own pace. Which for them happens to be advanced and has my son doing Algebra in the 6th grade. He is happy about it! We do not push them beyond what we know they are capable of. They are exposed to many outside things that are positive and not exposed to many things in the school system that are negative. You mentioned they will not know how to function in society without facing those negative things in school. Some people may argue that..I will disagree. The entire time we sat and had our conversation, my children sat very politely and quietly as you attacked their mother for her beliefs and how she is raising them. This is because I have taught them to respect their elders. Mr Man at the car wash, the fact that my children can do that at 9 and 11 years old and in today’s society makes them MORE than employable. However, you won’t have to worry about employing my children, because they will probably employ themselves…and maybe even your grandchildren 😉

Mr Man at the car wash, I really wish we would have had more time to chat, because then you would see that my children truly did “enter this society” when they came out of the womb. Life and who a person becomes, has nothing to do with going to public school, private school or being home-schooled. It is about what we, as parents take the time to teach our children. Today, with your help I taught mine about standing up to and overcoming adversity and that not everyone is going to agree with us and our way of thinking and that is okay, BUT we still treat those people…yes, even the bold, brazen and condemning ones with kindness, and trust me..that is not always easy.

If we had spent more time with you, I would have introduced you to two amazing human beings! I would have told you that my children have been to other countries and seen families live in houses with three walls and dirt floors..and that they were completely humbled at the ages of 7 and 9 telling their Daddy and I how they felt like we had too much. How they shared their food with those in need. How they came home and went through their toys and gave many of them to others. They did not learn this on their own. They learned it through teaching and not from the public school system, but from their Mother and Father and we have learned it from our Heavenly Father. You would know that my children were there to hold the hands of a dying young friend, who passed from cancer as she took close to her very last breaths. You would know that my E talks to Jesus and that she tells him to take care of her Ariel. You would know that I involve my children in many, many activities serving others. You would know that my children have seen their parents endure and overcome many things in life, both as full time, career firefighters and business owners and that sometimes we have bad days, but tomorrow is a new one. You would know that my children have a love for their disabled Nana and that when her wheelchair broke during a run that we did as a family, that their Mama didn’t give up and she rocked that wheelchair back on its back wheels and carried their Nana to the finish line..all while her children were in tow, showing them that you don’t EVER give up and that you NEVER leave family and friends behind. You would know that I have instilled a pride for this country into my children and we honor veterans who come in on the honor flight, because THEY served this country and provided us with the freedoms we have, to include your freedom of speech and ability to try and insult myself and my children today.

My children have volunteered with me at Burn Camps for burn injured children and the Sheriff’s Boys Ranch for boys who have lost their way a little. In our family, we believe in second chances.

Mr Man at the car wash, there is so much more I can say, to reassure you that my children would be very employable with your company, but for some reason…I am not that worried about it. 🙂

To put your mind at ease though…My M and E speed skate and get plenty of social interaction there….My little E, well she dances and gets up on that stage with a smile on her face..each and every time. They both love and are full of life. I am sincere in saying…they entered society…when they came out of the womb, my womb in which they were knitted together. I am thankful for you today and I am thankful that you were able to meet them. I am sharing a few little proofs that these children will be just fine…no need to worry.

E cheering on Mommy when Mommy ran a half-marathon

E throwing the first pitch at the FPF softball game..you can see she isn’t very socialized here 😉